The present invention relates to an air intake device for an outboard motor.
Fuel supply devices for an engine that has a fuel injection system are sometimes provided with a vapor separator. The vapor separator separates fuel vapor from fuel, such as gasoline, and then releases the fuel vapor into the atmosphere to keep a constant pressure within the separator, while forwarding vaporless liquid fuel to a fuel pump. Releasing fuel vapor into the atmosphere, however, causes air pollution. Thus, recently this fuel vapor is forwarded into an engine intake system by a hose or the like, and the fuel vapor is combusted within the engine.
When an engine has once warmed up, a high temperature in the engine enclosure increases the fuel temperature, and results in a large volume of fuel vapor. When one tries to restart the engine, this large volume of fuel vapor flows into the engine intake system causing a rich air-fuel mixture, and restarting the engine becomes difficult.
Conventionally, this problem is handled by providing a canister. However, not only are canisters expensive, but also they are difficult to be placed within an engine enclosure of an outboard motor because of its limit space.